ARTIST: DAKOTA NOOT

Artist Statement

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Anonymity is both ashamed and shameless. I draw inspiration from the men of my rural background, who are forced to obscure their face. By sharing images of themselves as headless torsos, their bodies can be exposed, vulnerable, and free in a way they can’t be in their public lives.

My work details varying masked bodies, all of whom embrace their inner pig. The pig can be cute or filthy, delicious or diseased. I draw inspiration from children’s book illustrations, which can be just as playful, dark, and violent as the lives of those rural men.

I hope that by drawing these men instead of photographing them, I can give their bodies more freedom than reality allows.